Batting training apparatus

ABSTRACT

It is one aspect of the present invention to provide a batting training apparatus for simulation ball trajectory prior to, during, and after the ball is impacted by a piece of sporting equipment such as a baseball bat. In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises a ball connected to a rotating tab wherein the tab is secured to a bearing configured to rotate within a bearing housing. The bearing housing may be mounted to a vertical support structure such as a pole or post.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a U.S non-provisional patent application which claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/775,582 filed Mar. 9, 2013 and entitled “BATTING TRAINING APPARATUS” the entire contents of the above-referenced patent application are incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of ball sports training apparatuses. More specifically, the invention relates to tethered ball hitting and training apparatuses for ball sports including baseball, softball, tennis, and the like.

BACKGROUND

Learning how to impact or contact a ball is a fundamental skill needed for success in ball hitting sports such as baseball, softball, tennis, and the like. Many ball hitting and training devices have been developed but are unable to individually provide all of the key skill concepts and device characteristics including demonstrating the length of time the ball is in and out of the strike zone, the ability to practice switch hitting, demonstration of ball trajectory after being hit, and durability for sustained use.

It is beneficial for the ball to remain in play for as long as possible after being hit to provide feedback to the hitter and improve their hitting skills. Training devices that do not allow the ball to remain in motion, or in play, after being hit will prove inadequate for training the batter to determine the best ball position, correct batter stance, and timing for proper swinging.

A device that allows for switch hitting will improve a batter's skills and also allows for a multiple players to train or play a game. And, when the ball is hit, it is important for the batter to see the trajectory of the ball in order to make changes to as to how high or low the balls flight is going to be. Finally it is important for the device to withstand the jarring forces frequently put upon the mechanism.

Most tethered ball batting training devices consist of a ball attached to a horizontal bar, either directly or with a rope or string. Then the bar is connected to a vertical bar to supply height.

Tethering to a horizontal bar such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,561 filed on May 20, 1994 and issued to Smith prevents the ball from demonstrating the true trajectory. The ball will only travel up and over the bar, not at an angle that demonstrates actual flight.

One method of tethering a ball to a vertical post is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,438 filed Oct. 23, 1994 and issued to Corley which uses a thimble around a bolt to allow rotation, but the friction created in rotation and centrifugal force will limit the number of cycles that the ball will complete and thus the amount of time the ball will be in play after being hit.

Therefore, a need exists for a novel batting training apparatuses configured to demonstrating the length of time the ball is in and out of the strike zone. A further need exists for batting training apparatuses configured to allow the practice of switch hitting. Another need exists for batting training apparatuses able to demonstrate of ball trajectory of a ball after being hit by allowing the ball to remain in play for extended periods of time. Finally, there exists a need for batting training apparatuses configured for extended durability and sustained use.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is one aspect of the present invention to provide novel batting training apparatuses configured to demonstrating the length of time the ball is in and out of the strike zone.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide batting training apparatuses configured to allow the practice of switch hitting.

It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide batting training apparatuses able to demonstrate the ball trajectory of a ball after being hit by allowing the ball to remain in play for extended periods of time.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide batting training apparatuses configured for extended durability and sustained use.

In preferred embodiments, the apparatus comprises: an improved batting apparatus having a ball attached to a rope. The rope is attached to a bearing assembly that allows the rope to rotate easily. The bearing assembly is inserted in a vertical pipe that provides height. The pipe is then secured to either a base, in the ground, or in a sleeve set in the ground.

Accordingly several advantages are to provide an improved batting apparatus to allow a batter to improve hand eye coordination and batting skills, to provide input to the batter on how well the ball was hit, to provide a durable and stable batting device, and to provide a more user-friendly, yet economical batting device. Still further advantages will become apparent from the study of the following description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 depicts an exploded perspective view of an example of a batting training apparatus according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an example of a batting training apparatus according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 3A shows a perspective view of a batting training apparatus according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 3B shows a perspective view of a batting training apparatus according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 4A depicts an elevation view of an example of a mounting batting training apparatus according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 4B depicts an elevation view of an example of a mounting batting training apparatus according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 4C depicts an elevation view of an example of a mounting batting training apparatus according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 5A illustrates a perspective view of a method of using a batting training apparatus according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 5B illustrates a perspective view of a method of using a batting training apparatus according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 6 shows perspective view of an example of a bearing housing according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 7 depicts a sectional view of an example of a bearing housing according to various embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.

New batting training apparatuses and methods of using the apparatuses are discussed herein. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.

The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.

The present invention will now be described by example and through referencing the appended figures representing preferred and alternative embodiments. FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded perspective view of an example of a batting training apparatus (“the apparatus”) 100 according to various embodiments described herein. In this example, the apparatus 100 comprises a tether 18 secured at a first end to a ball 19 and rotationally secured at a second end to a vertical support 21. In preferred embodiments, tether 19 is operably connected to a bearing 15 configured to rotate or spin within a bearing housing 16. As used herein the term “operably connected” shall generally mean that one item is connected either directly or through one or more intermediate pieces to another item. By way of non-limiting example, if a metal chain had three links labeled link 1 on the left side, link 2 in the center, and link 3 at the right side then, links 1 and 3 would be operably connected to each other because link 2 in between them secures both link 1 and 3 so causing an action onto link 1 (e.g. pulling link 1) would have an effect on link 3 since they are operably connected. Along this same line of reasoning, link 1 and link 2 as well as link 2 and link 3 would also be operably connected to each other.

In some embodiments, the tether 18 may be a rope, cord, chain, flexible plastic, flexible metal, or other suitable tethering device. In preferred embodiments, the tether 18 is a rope or cord. The tether 18 may be made from nylon, braided steel cable fibrous materials, or any other similar material. One skilled in the art will immediately recognize that many different tether 18 lengths and types are contemplated, and that the relative dimensions of the tether 18 in the figures is not intended to limit the actual dimensions of the tether in any way. In some embodiments, the vertical support 21 may comprise a pole, a post, or a tube. The vertical support 21 may be made from metal, plastic, or any other suitable durable and substantially rigid material.

In preferred embodiments, the apparatus 100 comprises a quick link 17 which may be used to temporarily attach the tether 18 to a tab 13 which is rotationally attached to the vertical support 21. The quick link 17 may be a carbiner, hook, or other suitable attachment means configured for the quick attachment and detachment of two items. The tab 13 may be rotationally attached to the vertical support 21 by a male threaded fastener 11 that may be inserted through an aperture 13A on the tab 13 and through a bearing housing 16 inserted into the vertical support 21 and optionally held in place by one or more set screws 22 or similar fasteners. The tab 13 may be a metal elongate article with apertures 13A at opposing ends as shown by example in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the male threaded fastener 11 may comprise a bolt, screw, rod, or other suitable type fastener.

The bearing housing 16 is configured to rotatably secure a bearing 15 allowing it to spin within the housing 16. In preferred embodiments, bearing housing 16 is configured to rotatably secure two bearings 15 with each bearing 15 housed in bearing seats 16A (FIG. 7) slightly apart from each other. Bearing 15 is preferably a wheel bearing of a round or wheel shape with an aperture in the center. Bearing 15 may be made from plastics such as urethane, polyurethane, nylon, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, rubber, metals alloys such as aluminum, or any other suitable durable and substantially rigid material. One or more female threaded fasteners 14 may be positioned adjacent to the two or more sets of bearings 15 and be threadedly attached to the male threaded fastener 11. In some embodiments, the female threaded fastener 14 may comprise a nut, locking nut, or other suitable female type threaded fastener.

The male threaded fastener 11 and the female threaded fasteners 14 secure and attach the tab 13 to the bearings 15 within the bearing housing 16 allowing the tab 13 to freely rotate while the bearing housing 16 and vertical support 21 remain stationary. In some embodiments, one or more washers 12 may be positioned on the male threaded fastener 11 to facilitate positioning and securing of elements on the male threaded fastener 11.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an example of a batting training apparatus 100 according to various embodiments. In this embodiment, the rotational movement of the tab 13 and therefore the optional quick link 17, tether 18, and ball 19 is aptly illustrated. The tab 13 is able to freely rotate in a horizontal plane which is substantially perpendicular to the vertical support 21 allowing the ball 19 to freely rotate around the vertical support 21 thereby remaining in play for extended periods of time while limiting the vertical rotational movement of the ball 19. In preferred embodiments, the tab 13 has minimal contact to the quick link 17 decreasing the amount of friction. In this embodiment, the male threaded fastener 11 rotationally secures a washer 12, tab 13, and female threaded fastener 14 to the bearing housing 16. The bearing housing 16 may also be attached to the vertical support 21 by an optional set screw 21. In other embodiments, the bearing housing 16 may be press fit, adhesively bonded, heat bonded, or joined by any other suitable method to the vertical support 21.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a perspective view of two examples of batting training apparatuses 100 according to various embodiments is shown. In the example shown in FIG. 3A, the vertical support 21 comprises a fixed length post so that the distance of the tab 13 from the base of the vertical support 21 my not be altered.

In other embodiments and as shown in FIG. 3B, the vertical support 21 may comprise one or more collapsible vertical support extensions 23 with may be expanded to increase the distance of the tab 13 from the base of the vertical support 21 and conversely collapsed to decrease the distance of the tab 13 from the base of the vertical support 21 for example in a telescoping manner.

FIG. 4 depicts an elevation view of three examples of mounting batting training apparatuses 100 according to various embodiments. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 4A, the vertical support 21 may be mounted into a ground surface by encasing it with a rigid material, such as concrete, dirt, stones, or other suitable material.

As depicted in FIG. 4B, in some embodiments, the vertical support 21 may be movably mounted to a ground surface such as a tire, a form, or other suitable base, then secured using a rigid material, concrete, dirt, stones, or other suitable material.

Referring now to FIG. 4C in some embodiments, the vertical support 21 may be mounted on a sleeve. The vertical support 21 may be attached to a short vertical support 31 of smaller diameter that is already secure to the ground or other suitable base.

As perhaps best shown by FIG. 5, a perspective view of two examples of a method of ball sport training according to various embodiments is shown. In FIG. 5A, the method may comprise a user 400 practicing batting skills whether right handed or left handed and stopping the ball after each hit, or switch hitting and keeping the ball in continual motion.

In other embodiments and referring to FIG. 5B, a method of ball sport training may comprise two users 400 one batting right handed and one batting left handed keeping the ball in continual motion while using the apparatus 100. Or two users 400 can hit in the same direction attempting to hit the ball before their opponent.

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of an example of a bearing housing 16 according to various embodiments described herein. In this view the cylindrical shape of the bearing housing can be seen. In preferred embodiments, the bearing housing comprises one or more bearing seats 16A (FIG. 7) located within the bearing housing 16 wherein bearing seats 16A are preferably separated from each other by one or more bearing spacers 16B (FIG. 7). The bearing housing 16 may be made from plastics such as urethane, polyurethane, nylon, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, rubber, metals alloys such as aluminum, or any other suitable durable and substantially rigid material. In preferred embodiments, the bearing housing 16 is comprised of a material that will absorb shock from the ball being hit, increasing stability and durability of the entire apparatus 100. The plane 7 for which the section view of FIG. 7 is based is shown as a broken line.

As shown in FIG. 7, a sectional view is provided of an example of a bearing housing 16 according to various embodiments described herein. In this embodiment, two bearing seats 16A, also called a first bearing seat and a second bearing seat are separated by a bearing spacer 16B. The bearing seats 16A are complementarily shaped accept and secure one or more sets of bearings 15 (FIG. 1). The bearing spacer 16B prevents one or more bearings 15 (FIG. 1) from contacting each other and as such prevents the bearings 15 (FIG. 1) from traveling within the bearing housing 16. Bearing spacer 16B also facilitates better balance in the rotation of the male threaded fastener 11. In preferred embodiments, bearing seats 16A and bearing spacer 16B are cavities formed within the body of bearing housing 16 and surrounded by radial sidewalls on all lateral sides. Bearing seats 16A are substantially open on at least one side (either top or bottom side) to removably accept bearings 15 (FIG. 1). In preferred embodiments, bearing seats 16A have a diameter larger than bearing spacer 16B as bearing spacer side wall 16C preferably forms a protrusion into the hollow core of bearing housing 16. In this regard, a first bearing 15 (FIG. 1) may be placed into the top cavity of a first bearing seat 16A and the protruding bearing spacer sidewall 16C makes contact with the bottom facing portion of said first bearing 15 (FIG. 1) preventing the first bearing 15 (FIG. 1) from dropping further into the bearing housing 16. In some embodiments, a second bearing 15 (FIG. 1) may be placed into the bottom cavity of a second bearing seat 16A and the protruding bearing spacer sidewall 16C makes contact with the upper facing portion of said second bearing 15 (FIG. 1) preventing the second bearing 15 (FIG. 1) from entering further into the bearing housing 16, thereby maintaining a distance between a first bearing 15 (FIG. 1) and a second bearing 15 (FIG. 1) secured within the bearing housing 16.

Although the present invention has been illustrated and described herein with reference to preferred embodiments and specific examples thereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functions and/or achieve like results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, are contemplated thereby, and are intended to be covered by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A batting training apparatus configured to facilitate the horizontal rotational movement of a ball relative to a user, the apparatus comprising: a ball; a tether connected to the ball; a first bearing operably connected to the tether; and a bearing housing configured to rotatably secure said first bearing.
 2. The batting training apparatus of claim 1 in which said first bearing is a wheel bearing with an aperture in the center.
 3. The batting training apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a second bearing.
 4. The batting training apparatus of claim 3 in which said second bearing is a wheel bearing with an aperture in the center.
 5. The batting training apparatus of claim 2 in which the bearing housing comprises a bearing seat.
 6. The batting training apparatus of claim 4 in which the bearing housing comprises a first bearing seat and a second bearing seat.
 7. The batting training apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a bearing spacer integrally formed within the bearing housing.
 8. The batting training apparatus of claim 7 wherein the bearing is operably connected to the tether with a tab.
 9. The batting training apparatus of claim 8 wherein the tab, the first bearing, and the second bearing are secured to each other with a fastener.
 10. The batting training apparatus of claim 9 wherein the tab is connected to the tether through a quick link.
 11. The batting training apparatus of claim 9 wherein the bearing housing is secured to a vertical support pole.
 12. The batting training apparatus of claim 9 wherein the bearing housing is secured to a vertical support pole with a set screw.
 13. The batting training apparatus of claim 11 wherein the vertical support pole comprises collapsible vertical support extensions.
 14. A batting training apparatus configured to facilitate the horizontal rotational movement of a ball relative to a user, the apparatus comprising; a first and second bearing configured to be operably connected to a ball and a bearing housing adapted to secure said first and second bearing so that each bearing is free to spin in a horizontal direction but not spin a vertical direction.
 15. The batting training apparatus of claim 14 further comprising a bearing spacer sidewall protruding into the cavity between said first bearing and said second bearing. 